Love and Respect
by mimsygoblin
Summary: A straying, not-entirely-canon telling of the romance between FemShep and Garrus. First fanfic... Rated M for sexual content in later chapters and graphic violence.
1. Prologue

The casket was for show. Everyone knew that there was no body in it.

The service was nice, for a military funeral. The purpose of the small armed squad there soon became clear to those unfamiliar with human ceremony. Neatly lined, they raised their weapons, and fired into the air on command. A baleful melody was playing in the background.

Liara and Kaiden hadn't been able to look at one another. They had both competed for her attention and affection, and neither had had any success. An unspoken rivalry had developed between them, wedging apart what could have been an excellent friendship. Each secretly wondered if the other had ruined it for them. It was so like Shepard to have put duty before romance.

Wrex look somewhat disgusted. For anyone that knew him, or Krogan in general for that matter, knew what was on his mind. "_Pathetic, Shepard_," said his unfeeling glare._ "You pull through an attack on a reaper, save the day and pull the council's ass out of the fire, then go down with a little zap of your ship. Weak. I'd crack your skull if you'd left a body."_

Liara had an arm around Tali, who was weeping quietly. She was the most visibly affected of the bunch. Liara tried her best to comfort the quarian, with little success.

Kaiden and Anderson were a part of the military procession. Both looked weary and downtrodden, but held professional demeanor for the ceremony.

Joker stood by, appearing to be quite haunted. Blaming himself, no doubt.

Garrus watched it all, finding it to be quite alien. He found it odd that grieving people should have guns fired over their heads.

He found it odd that Shepard was gone.

In Wrex's face, he found his own emotions mirrored back at him. He was angry at her. How could she let this happen? They'd lived through an attack on the citadel. A reaper attack. Now, with more reapers on the horizon, she decided to up and die? Leave a mission undone?

He turned his gaze to Joker, mandibles tensely clamping tight against his face. He wished it had been Joker. He would not say it. The fragile pilot was already suffering for it. Matter of fact, he both cursed and applauded Shepard for doing what she always did; putting her crew before herself. He admired that about her, even as he hated her for it now.

Turians were incapable of tears. All that would be heard from Garrus is a series of barely audible clicks that rumbled deep in his throat. It was somewhat reminiscent of a growl. He himself was unaware of the noise he was making.

...

_"Isn't it your sleep cycle?" Garrus had asked Shepard as she sat over a cup of coffee and a datapad. _

_At first she did not look at him, instead being rather transfixed by whatever she was reading. "Probably," came the reply a moment later. Setting down the datapad, she rubbed her eyes. "Isn't it yours?"_

_"Probably," he nodded. "Mind some company?"_

_She gestured to a chair, "I suppose not. So what's keeping you up?"_

_"Checking our equipment. Inspecting the Mako. Avoiding Chief Williams where I can."_

_Shepard sighed over her cup, a hand on her forehead. "Ash isn't used to...visitors. She'll come around. She hasn't been bothering you, has she?"_  
_Garrus held up a taloned hand, "No, no, nothing over the line. I can tell I make her uncomfortable, is all. Just trying to give her some space."_

_She nodded, "Most of the crew here haven't been around anyone outside their own species for more than a few minutes. It's an adjustment."_

_He leaned back in his chair, draping an arm over its back. "And what about you? You don't seem bothered by us."_

_Shepard grunted in amusement. "Garrus, I don't ask people to become a part of my crew just to let a little xenophobia ruin how we work together. If I was that concerned about other species, I wouldn't have asked you to come along."_

_"That's good to hear, Commander."_

_Shepard peered into her cup, pensive and silent for a moment._

_"So," Garrus broke the silence, leaning forward and clasping his hands together, elbows resting on his knees, "do you make it a habit of never sleeping and overworking yourself?"_

_Shepard half-smiled, "Only when I'm chasing a Turian who's trying to destroy all life in the galaxy."_

_Garrus tilted his head to one side. "Now I'm probably the last person who should be saying this, because...what's that phrase you humans use? Calling a kettle black? But..." he leveled his gaze at her, "...you should at least try and get some sleep where you can. I don't want to see you run yourself down."_

_Shepard smirked, "I know my limits very well, Garrus."_

_Garrus leaned back, averting his gaze. "Of course, Commander. I wasn't trying to-"_

_Shepard cut him off. "However, your concern is touching. Lets me know you've got my back."_

_He stood from his chair, mandibles tight against his jaw. "Anytime, Commander. But now I won't disturb you any more than I have. Goodnight, Commander."_

_"Goodnight, Garrus."_

_..._

The rest of the funeral was a blur, as Garrus had lost himself in random memories. Any recollections he could drum up of time spent with Shepard, he held onto, mused over reverently.

Then, when the ceremony had passed, he left.


	2. Chapter 1

Well. This wasn't very promising.

How long had he been holed up in this place? He hadn't slept in days. Hadn't eaten much. He was worn down and hardly able to hold his head up.

So when he narrowed his gaze down the scope of his rifle and saw a ghost, he chalked it up to the lack of sleep. He was having hallucinations now, and that meant it was only a matter of time before he was overrun entirely. There was no way the Commander was storming towards the building he figured to be his final resting place.

He had held on this long out of pure stubbornness. White hot rage and burning hate fueled what was left standing, and the vague future promise of making a certain turian son of a bitch pay for what he'd done.

Yet now, staring at this ghost...

He loaded a concussive round. There was one way to test if it was a ghost.

Taking aim, he let fly a shot at her. It glanced off her shields, though made her stagger a bit. A hard, determined face glared up at him, as if to say_, I'm on your side, you idiot._

_Shepard. How...?_

Abruptly, she turned on the mercenaries charging beside her. They were so startled by her sudden defection that the first few never stood a chance. When the fight carried below and out of his vision, he kept watch on the bridge. He had to believe it really was Shepard. It was his only hope of possibly escaping this alive.

He could hear the gunshots downstairs, then the approach behind him.

"Archangel?" Spirits, that voice! It was her!

He gestured briefly. One more merc to take down. The human was hiding, attempting to be cautious. As he peeked out to plan his next move, the turian sniper planted a bullet between his eyes.

His joints and muscles were screaming. He felt as though he could collapse. Turning around, he sat himself down, peeling off his helmet and propping up his legs. Resting his rifle in the crook of his arm, he greeted her in utter weariness. "Shepard. I thought you were dead."

Immediately, she threw open her arms, as though she would embrace him. She was delighted to see him. A smiling, friendly face. A face he could trust. He needed someone he could trust so very badly.

"Garrus!" Her delight was mingled with relief. As he studied the abundance of Cerberus logos now before him, he wondered briefly if she might also be in need of trustworthy allies. "What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice," his eyes burned from lack of sleep. He could barely keep them open.

Shepard's joy quickly soured to concern. Brows furrowing, she asked, "You okay?"

Garrus tried to smile...unsuccessfully. "Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face."

...

There was so much blood.

Shepard felt sick to her stomach as she peered down to the mandible she held in her hand. For fuck's sake, she was holding part of his face. He was still gasping. Choking. Sputtering. It was terrifying watching the one person she knew she could trust teeter on the brink of death, fighting it wild-eyed and fierce.

"I need this shuttle to move faster!" She cried frantically at the pilot.

Everything was in slow motion. None of them knew a damn thing about Turian physiology, so a decent field patch-up for the trip wasn't even possible. In one hand, Shepard held part of his face. In the other, she gripped his hand tightly. "Stay with us, Garrus! We're almost there!"

...

Shepard watched them operate from outside, her forehead pressed woefully against the glass. She had not left since they'd brought him in. She hadn't even had time to change or cleanup. His sickeningly sweet-smelling blood was all over her still.

Staring at her hands, she could only think of the mandible she'd had to retrieve from inside the collar of his armor.

She started when a hand pressed down gently on her shoulder.

"Shepard," Jacob said softly. "Doctor Chakwas will take good care of him. You should get cleaned up. Won't do you any good to stay here like this."

A hand raised to her forehead, pushing hair out of her face. "Yeah," was all she could manage in response. With one last fretful look into the med bay, she moved towards the elevator.

Touching the button for her cabin, she stood rigid, eyes downcast. Her gloved hands were balled so tightly they shook. There was no definite expression on her face in spite of the worry consuming her.

There was so much uncertainty everywhere. When she awoke, there was only Cerberus. Unfamiliar faces wearing that awful symbol, something that represented everything dark and terrible about mankind. These were the people who ran terrible experiments. These were the people that killed Admiral Kohaku. These were the people that brought her back to life.

So what did that make her?

Joker had been there. Chakwas. They were good friends and comrades, and people she could trust. However, a doctor belonged in the med bay and a pilot belonged on the ship. They weren't with her on missions. Until now, she'd only had strangers watching her back. Strangers with unknown motives. Goddamned Cerberus agents.

She stepped into her cabin and began peeling off her armor. Jacob was right. Sitting in his blood was not going to help her. Such a dark, rich blue it was. Blue, like royalty.

When she had seen Garrus, it had been nothing but relief. There was a friend. There was a comrade. There was someone she could trust, who had walked through hell with her and come out the other side. A turian, so frustrated by an inability to act on injustice that he left his career and life on the citadel to follow someone who was fighting an ultimate injustice. He believed in her, even before she took time to help him track down Saleon. He believed, trusted, but did not follow blindly.

Then, that missile.

Blue pooled in the bottom of the shower.

...

"Commander, we've done what we could for Garrus but he took a bad hit," Jacob said, finally breaking the silence. "The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell he'll have full functionality, but..."

As Jacob trailed off, they were interrupted by the door. A very scarred turian stepped in, a chunk of armor missing from the collar.

"Shepard," Garrus greeted.

A knot of worry unworked itself in her belly and in swept a flood of relief.

"Tough son of a bitch. I didn't think he'd be up yet," Jacob raised his brows at the battle worn turian.

As he entered the room, his gaze met Shepard's. It was cool and confident, as if he were saying, _You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easy_, _did you, Shepard?_ He lifted a hand and gestured to his face, weariness still bearing on his flanging voice. "Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"

Shepard beamed in delight, crossing her arms. "Aw hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some paint on there and no one will even notice."

The tall turian laughed, though it was abruptly cut short as paint shot through his face. He raised a hand as if to hold it together, wincing. "Augh, don't make me laugh. My face is barely holding together as it is." After a moment, he added, "Some women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those women are Krogan."

Satisfied with his report, Jacob offered a salute and made his exit. Shepard was glad for the absence of Cerberus, but she knew exactly what would come next the moment they'd been left alone.

Garrus leaned forward, his voice lowered. "Frankly, I'm more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember those sick experiments they were doing?"

There it was. Of course, it was right of him to question it. She had never expected or wanted blind loyalty. "That's why I'm glad you're here, Garrus. If I'm walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my side."

His eyes lowered briefly, and in that moment, he looked...haunted. Peering back up quickly, he gestured, "You realize this plan has me walking into hell, too. Hah. Just like old times." A tension settled on his shoulders then rolled off again. "I'm fit for duty whenever, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries."

As he abruptly turned and left, Shepard could only stare after him and wonder what had happened on Omega. There was something darker there that hadn't been before. Something weighed on him heavily, and he did not want to talk about it.


	3. Chapter 2

Shepard sat over a hot meal and read over the dossier for Jack. After a bite or two, she peered down at her plate. The food had significantly improved since she'd acquired better supplies for Gardner. A good steak was going a long way for her morale.

"Just like you to never take a break, Shepard," Garrus seated himself across the table with a meal of his own.

Shepard set the dossier down, turning her full focus on her meal. "I am taking a break."

Garrus gave a rumbling, throaty hum at that. "I see that."

For a time after that, the two ate in silence. The turian did not look up from the strange meal he set to eating with his hands, mandibles rotating as he chewed. What he ate looked like a bowl of odd insects peeled from their shells. He had given the name for them once, but Shepard had forgotten it.

The turian swallowed, then leaned back from his bowl. "...Shepard?"

"Hm?"

"You're staring."

"Sorry," she looked down to her own plate. "Just thinking."

"About how terrible my turian food looks to you?" he suggested, a talon poking another bite into his mouth.

"No," she continued to gaze at him. "I was just wondering what happened to you, I guess. Omega really did a number on you."

He was quiet for a moment. Slipping his final bit of food into his mouth, he hummed a low note.

Shepard had already finished her plate and pushed it to the side. She now offered a half-hearted smile. "You don't have to tell me, Garrus. I shouldn't have brought it up."

A taloned hand touched his face where the missile hit. "I will tell you soon. Not right now, but soon. For now, let us just say that this isn't the only scar I walked away with." Leaning forward, he folded his hands together and rested his elbows on the table. "You're a little different too, Shepard. I want to ask why, but it may not be very fair to pry into your business after I just asked you to mind your own."

Rubbing her eyes, she sighed. "Actually, I could use someone to talk to. Not here, though. The Illusive Man has eyes and ears all over this ship. My cabin is the only private area I have, and I don't need every damn thing I say on his records. Join me for a drink?"

The turian shifted his brow plates into an expression that seemed pensive. "Sure. But I'll bring my own drinks, thanks. I'm not levo-sensitive, but I'd like something that doesn't taste as foul as what you drink."

...

They had settled into chairs beside the bed, both leaned back with feet resting on the bed. Each had a different drink in hand as they spoke. It had started with small talk, but Garrus could certainly tell she was stalling. He found it awkward, as she had been the one who wanted to talk in the first place.

"...and she seems like a powerful ally, but her psyche profile reads as unstable. I just think-"

"Shepard," Garrus interrupted. "I'm glad you're so focused on the mission, but that isn't what you wanted to talk about."

Shepard lowered her gaze. Taking her feet down, she leaned forward and set her elbows against her knees. "No, but after thinking about it, I shouldn't dump it on my crew. I'd rather talk about this dossier."

The turian also adjusted himself to lean forward and level his gaze at her. "Shepard, as one of your crew, I say I'll respect your decision and we can discuss the mission. As your friend, I will also respect your decision if you don't want to talk. Never mind how hypocritical it would be of me to pry. Just remember that as your friend, I'm here to the end. If you need to talk, I'll listen. You're not dumping anything on me. You're doing me the honor of letting me help you out for a change."

At that, she drew in a slow breath, then let out a heavy sigh. "Well, you asked for it." Standing now, she downed the rest of her drink. Without being conscious of it, she began pacing. "Alright, Vakarian. It's about this mission. I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing."

He poured himself another drink to drown out his own doubts so he might take in hers. "The collectors need to be stopped, Shepard. You're doing the right thing."

She countered quickly, stopping a moment and clenching a fist. "And I will stop them. I have no doubts about what needs to be done there."

"You're worried about Cerberus."

Shepard began pacing again. "They brought me back. But did they? You asked if I remembered their experiments. Yes, I do. Did they have anything to do with me coming back? What did they use? Am I still me? How would I know if I wasn't?"

Garrus stood now, closing the distance between them. He settled his large, taloned hands on her shoulders to still her movement. Small, beaded blue eyes met with hers. Everything about his movement demanded her attention. "Shepard, it's you. The only thing I see now that I haven't before is this doubt. You are Commander Shepard. Your heart stills belongs to the Alliance Navy and the Council. You fight like hell. You make friends like an asari. You are, without a doubt, the woman who took down Saren. You would lay down your life for any one of your crew and have. You're the last foundation anyone can build a house on in this damn universe." His mandibles slacked and exposed his impossibly sharp teeth in a half-hearted turian smile. "That and you pulled my ass out of the fire at the last minute. Again. I have no doubts about you, Commander."

Shepard tensed, opening her mouth to reply, but snapped it shut again. Taking a step back, she settled a hand on her forehead. "I guess so." Moving to the table, she poured herself another drink. "I guess I'm also worried that I could end up doing something I'll regret later without even realizing I'm doing it. I don't trust Cerberus."

Garrus joined her in another drink. "And you shouldn't. Not as far as a volus can throw an elcor. But that's what I'm here for, Shepard. You can trust that I've got your back. If I see anything funny, I'll let you know."

They settled back in their chairs. "Yeah. You're right." She turned and set her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Garrus. This made me feel better."

Garrus carefully pulled his hand away, registering several throaty clicks. Thank goodness she didn't know what a turian blush looked like. "Anytime, Shepard."

They spent the rest of the night discussing old times aboard the SR-1.


	4. Chapter 3

They watched the Collector ship speed away to escape the GUARDIAN lasers. Shepard swore under her breath. It was leaving with most of the colony.

"No! Don't let them get away!" cried the mechanic, futilely chasing after the place the ship had already departed from. He stopped, gaping helplessly up into the sky.

Shepard felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. Straightening, she spoke more to convince herself than the mechanic. "There's nothing we could do. They're gone."

The mechanic paced rapidly, staring up into the sky. He was trembling with fear and outrage. "Half the colony's in there! They took Egan and Sam and...and Lilith! Do something!"

"I didn't want it to end this way. I did what I could," she said softly, still trying to convince herself more than anything.

Garrus, sensing her guilt, spoke up to reassure her. "More than most, Shepard."

"Shepard? Wait, I know that name." At that, the mechanic whirled on her, raising and accusing finger. "Sure, I remember you. Some type of big Alliance hero."

Shepard opened her mouth to respond, but a familiar voice beat her to it. Stepping forward, the lines of his face hard and angered, came Kaidan Alenko. "Commander Shepard, Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre. Savior of the Citadel." Coming to stand before her, there was none of the warmth she had hoped for from her former comrade. Instead, he seemed as cold and accusing as the fuming mechanic. "You're in the presence of a legend, Delan. And a ghost."

The mechanic took a step back, folding his arms. His anger was rapidly giving way to sorrow. "All of the good people we lost and you get left behind. Figures." Tears welled in his eyes as he waved them off, turning to leave. "Screw this. I'm done with you Alliance types."

Alenko moved forward, eyeing her suspiciously. They shared an uneasy handshake. "I thought you were dead, Shepard. We all did." The look in his eyes was challenging, as if he were fuming that she was alive. His gaze kept darting down to the Cerberus logo on the chest piece of her armor.

Shepard tried to bite back the creeping sense of betrayal in her gut. With a look like that, she couldn't pretend that everything was okay. Gently, she said, "You don't sound too happy to see me. Something bothering you, Kaidan?"

The tension was palpable. "Yeah, something's bothering me. I spent the past two years believing you we're dead." Leaning forward, his seething anger began boiling to the surface. "I would have followed you anywhere, Commander. Thinking you were gone..." He stepped back, head down. Shepard could tell how her death ate at him. Who knows for how long. "...it was like losing a limb. Why didn't you try and contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive!?"

Shepard remained calm, still speaking gently. "Not my choice. I spent two years in a coma while Cerberus rebuilt me."

Kaidan backed away as though Shepard had leveled her rifle at him. "You're with Cerberus now. I can't believe the reports were right."

Garrus chimed in, his flanging baritone suggesting a little anger himself. "Reports? You mean you already knew?"

Alenko glared. "Alliance intel thought Cerberus might be behind the missing human colonies. They got a tip this colony might be the next one to get hit. Anderson stonewalled me, but there were rumors that you weren't dead. That you were working for the enemy."

Shepard grew tense, and it began showing in her voice. "Cerberus and I want the same thing: to save our colonies. That doesn't mean I answer to them."

Kaidan stepped forward, disgusted. "Do you really believe that? Or is that just what Cerberus wants you to think? I wanted to believe the rumors that you were alive, but I never expected anything like this!" He practically spat, "You turned your back on everything we stood for."

For a moment, doubt and turmoil fought in her belly. She didn't know how to respond. Yes, she believed that, but she could not speak of their true motives. She doubted them herself, but she needed their help. The Alliance and Council both had only thrown her status back at her, promising no true assistance. Her response was more of a plea than anything. "Kaidan, you know me. You know I'd only do this for the right reason. You saw it yourself. The Collectors are abducting human colonies and they're working for the Reapers!"

Alenko did not back down. "I want to believe you, Shepard, but I don't trust Cerberus. They could be using the threat of a Reaper to manipulate you. What if they're behind it? What if they're working with the Collectors?

Garrus immediately stepped forward, coming to Shepard's side. "Damnit, Kaidan, you're so focused on Cerberus that you're ignoring the real threat!"

With Garrus backing her and at her side, there came a resurgent of confidence for the Commander. "You're letting how you feel about their history get in the way of the facts."

"Maybe," he countered darkly. "Or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe you're the one who's not thinking straight. You've changed, but I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier. Always will be." He started to turn away. "I've got to report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they believe your story or not."

"I've already told Anderson and the Council. They upheld my Spectre status. I have nothing to hide from them or from you."

Kaiden hesitated for a moment, but continued on. "Goodbye, Shepard. Be careful."

...

After her last conversation with the Illusive Man, Shepard had taken her dossiers and sequestered herself in her cabin. Chambers had expressed concern about the Commander, and had approached Garrus to talk to her about what happened on Horizon. He had, of course, agreed, having been considering doing so before the approach.

He knocked at her cabin door, a claw hooked where he was missing that small piece of his armor along the collar. After a long pause, Shepard answered the door in her civilian attire. She wore the Cerberus armor, but never touched the uniform.

"Garrus," she muttered. She hadn't been sleeping. "What do you need?"

"Just wanted to talk, Shepard."

She raised a brow. "You can tell Chambers that I'm fine. She must have raised quite a fuss over me to pull you away from your calibrations."

Garrus folded his arms, regarding her in amusement. "She did, but I thought you could use an ear after what happened on Horizon."

Shepard's gaze fell to the floor. "What is there to talk about? You were there and saw it too."

The turian fell silent. After a pause, he said in his low, flanging baritone, "Tell you what. You talk to me about Horizon, and I'll tell you what happened on Omega."

At that, Shepard looked up. Stepping back, she gestured to her cabin. "Come in, then."

Garrus stepped in, then leaned himself against the fish tank. He noted it was clear of fish. Had she killed another batch?

The Commander seated herself in the corner in front of the dossiers she'd left on the table. It was clear she had been working up here the whole time instead of sleeping. The evidence was clear. Leaning forward, she folded her hands.

"I just...can't believe he'd lost faith in me, Garrus. I lost his trust."

The turian sneered. "Kaidan was just being a pig-headed fool. All he saw was that damn logo."

"I can't blame him for that either. Can you?" she peered up at him wearily.

"No. I sure as hell don't trust Cerberus. I don't trust much in anyone anymore," he admitted, a rumble in his throat. "But you...I trust you. You're the only one I know I _can_ trust. In my book, Kaidan has as good as betrayed you."

"He's just doing what he thinks is right," she sighed.

"Damnit, Shepard, don't defend him!" he gestured with a half-snarl. "You're legitimizing what he did because you're being understanding. You feel betrayed. I can tell. I'm letting you know that you _should_ feel that way, and it's _okay_ to feel that way."

With sudden insight, Shepard's eyes widened. Meeting his furious gaze, she ventured a guess. "Garrus...that's what happened to you, isn't it?"

That insight caught him off guard. He hadn't been ready for the topic to change to him so suddenly. He broke her gaze, pained by what seemed to be transparency on his part. The guilt, hatred, shame...it all boiled to the surface. His mandibles tensed over his mouth as he fumed silently. "It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me."

She had been right. She identified with the pain he displayed, and remained silent as he told his story.

"A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the gangs attacked my squad, then he disappeared," his talons clenched as he thought about it, armored gloves alone preventing them from biting into his own flesh. "Everyone except me is dead because of him, and because I didn't see it coming."

"What happened, exactly?"

"Sidonis asked for my help on a job. When I got to the meeting point, nobody was there. By the time I got back to the hideout, the mercs had killed all but two of my squad, and they didn't last long."

"You sure it was a betrayal? Maybe they took Sidonis out first."

Garrus sneered. Defending betrayers again. Always with the benefit of doubt. "No. I put out feelers with some old contacts. He booked transport off Omega just before the attack. He also cleared out his private accounts before he left. He sold me out and ran."

"Do you know where Sidonis is now?" she asked gently.

"No. His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega. But I'll keep hunting," he turned to face her, determination hardening his face. "I lost my whole team on Omega except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him...and correct that."

"Garrus, I..."

He held up a hand in disgust. "There you have it, Shepard. Now I've got to get going. I have some things to take care of."

He then abruptly turned and left, leaving a bewildered Shepard in his wake.


End file.
